J-L students 'building' on their skills

April 24, 2002|By Michael Jones

Runyan, who teaches woodworking and building trades classes at Johannesburg-Lewiston (J-L) High School, said most of the 59 woodworking students in his classes are first-year students. "We have a few who took it last year but for most of them, this is something new."

Even though most of his students are not experienced woodworkers, Runyan is impressed with the quality of work being turned out. "We have a couple of kids who are real shop rats. They are in here every chance they get."

All first-year students make a hat or coat rack for their initial project, and from there move onto making a clock of their design. For students who complete these first two projects, Runyan said the final woodworking project is a more ambitious undertaking. "They can make a book or gun case, a chest of drawers; we even have one student who is making a rolltop desk. The craftsmanship here is pretty amazing."

Advertisement

About a dozen of the woodworking students have completed or will soon complete their third project. Their projects, along with about 60 others, will be entered in a regional woodworking competition Thursday, May 2, in Traverse City. "Everyone in woodworking will take at least one project to regionals," said Runyan. "I think the kids have an incentive to do a nice job by taking them to the regional competition."

J-L students also are able to take Runyan's building trades classes; 28 are enrolled in his beginning class and 11 in the advanced class. "All students must take woodworking I before they can sign up for a building trades class," said Runyan, who noted this year the classes are in the process of building two storage sheds, which when completed, will be sold to recover the cost of building materials.

Runyan's goal for next year is to have his building trades students start to build a pole barn behind the school, which would eventually serve as a classroom for those students. "Right now we have to share one classroom for both the woodworking and building trades classes and we just don't have the room. It seems we spend half our time putting things away so the room can be used later in the day for another class."

Further down the road, Runyan envisions the building trades class tackling as its project construction of a small house or cottage on school grounds and then selling it when it's finished.

"Right now we need more tools and equipment for the building trades classes," noted Runyan. "We have a new radial and band saw, and are slowly replacing the old stuff which we just can't fix anymore."